I had never heard anything like it before.
The howling started as a low hum, building into a chorus of rage and warning that echoed through the forest like a heartbeat from the earth itself. It wasn't just noise—it was a call. A declaration. A war cry.
The Crimson Pack had entered our territory.
And they weren't here to talk.
I pressed my hand against the cold windowpane, heart racing, breath shallow. Outside, shadows darted between trees. Wolves—so many of them—flanked the clearing, eyes glowing red in the moonlight. Not silver like Lucian's. Not gold like the younger wolves I'd seen. Crimson. Like fire. Like blood.
Lucian's pack met them at the border.
He was leading them, his massive black wolf form nearly twice the size of any other. But even from here, I could feel his tension—coiled like a spring, waiting to snap.
Maris stood beside me in human form, her jaw clenched tight. "They've never come this far. Not in my lifetime."
"What do they want?" I whispered, even though I already knew.
"You," she said. "Or war."
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
Suddenly, my mark—the one where Lucian bit me—began to burn. Not sharp, not unbearable, but hot, like something inside me was waking up, responding to what was happening outside.
I stumbled back from the window, clutching my shoulder.
Maris moved to help, but froze.
The mark was glowing.
A soft, silver light.
"I have to get you out of here," she said quickly, her voice tight with fear.
"No," I said, gritting my teeth. "I need to go out there."
"Raven—"
"I can feel them," I said, eyes wide. "Not just Lucian. All of them. Like they're pulling at me. Like I'm part of the pack already."
Maris looked torn. "If you go out there and the Crimson wolves see you... you'll be the spark that sets everything on fire."
"Then let it burn."
The words came from somewhere deep inside me—fierce, ancient, unrecognizable. But they felt true.
I bolted for the door, heart pounding. Maris didn't follow, but she didn't try to stop me either.
Outside, the air was electric.
Lucian stood facing a tall, broad-shouldered man with crimson eyes and a scar down one side of his face. His aura was thick and oppressive, like heat pressing against your skin.
The Alpha of the Crimson Pack.
"I warned you," he said, voice like gravel. "The girl is ours."
Lucian's growl rumbled like thunder. "She is mine."
The Crimson Alpha bared his teeth. "She carries Moonborn blood. That makes her a threat to every bloodline still loyal to the old ways."
"She is not a threat. She is balance."
"She is an abomination."
That's when I stepped into the clearing.
Every head turned.
Wolves bristled. The tension cracked like lightning in the air.
I didn't flinch.
I walked past Lucian, past the line of snarling wolves, until I stood face to face with the Crimson Alpha.
"You don't know me," I said, voice steady. "You only know the power you think I might have."
He stared at me, eyes narrowing. "I know enough. I know you were born of a forbidden line. I know your mother was one of us once, before she ran. Before she hid you."
His words hit like stones.
"My mother?" I asked, voice trembling. "She was… one of you?"
He smiled cruelly. "She was our blood. Until she betrayed us. Until she broke the oath and fled."
My head spun. Everything I thought I knew—about my mom, about myself—was unraveling.
"She died a human," I whispered. "Broke. Alone."
He shrugged. "Choices have consequences."
I turned to Lucian, eyes burning. "Did you know?"
He hesitated—just a breath too long.
"I suspected," he admitted. "But I didn't know for sure."
My heart cracked. "You should have told me."
"I didn't want to break you before you had the strength to fight."
I took a deep breath, fire simmering in my chest. The mark on my shoulder was blazing now, its light spilling through my hoodie like moonlight through a cracked window.
The Crimson Alpha stepped back, alarm flickering in his eyes. "It's awakening."
A wind rose around us, soft at first, then rising like a storm. The trees shuddered. The wolves whined. And then—from somewhere inside me—I felt the power rise.
Silver veins spread across my skin.
My eyes reflected the moon.
I wasn't just waking up.
I was becoming.
The Crimson Alpha hissed, backing away. "This is unnatural."
"No," I said, voice deeper now, layered. "This is what you tried to destroy. This is what you feared."
Lucian stepped beside me, his human form returned, his hand reaching for mine. "They'll come for you now. Harder. Faster."
I nodded. "Let them come."
The wind stilled.
The wolves watched in silence.
And above us, the blood moon rose.